Musical instrument



O. E. KELLUM.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. APPLICATION FILED.APR.23, 1918.

1,358,752. Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

ZSHEETS-SHEET I- O. E. KELLUM.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. APPLICATION FILED APR. 23, 1918.

Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENT OFFICE.

ORLANDO E. KELLUM, 015 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

Substitute for application Serial No. 85,333, filed March 20, 1916. This application filed April 23, 1918.

Serial No. 230,380.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ORLANDO E. KELLUM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to musical instruments and has-to do with improvements in the driving mechanisms for the web records of such' instruments as automatic pianos, ect; and, although not necessarily limited to such association, my improvement has a present practical application in combination and association with a phonograph or kinetograph, or both, where they are synchronously operated with the piano or the like, and the invention will be best understood from a detailed description of my improved mechanism in its preferred form and in its combination with such other mechanisms. For the purpose of this application (which is a renewal of my former application S. N. 85,333, filed March 20, 1916) I have illustrated such preferred form of devices and association in the accompanying drawings,

in which:

Figure l is a diagram showing the operating connections between the different mechanisms, includin a phonograph, a kinetograph, and a mechanical musical instrument; Fig. 2 is a similar diagram showing only a kinetograph and musical instrument; Fig. 3 is an end view showing the commutator which controls the supply of current to the circuits connecting the different mechanisms; Fig. 4 is a view showing the starting or registration marks on the kinetograph: Fig. 5 is a detail showing the mechanism of the mechanical musical instrument; Fig. 6 is a view showin portions of the mechanism shown in Fig. o, showing the rec-- ord strip of the musical instrument in place; Fig. '7 is a section taken as indicated by line 7-7 on Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is an enlargement of another portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 5; and Fig. 9 is a section taken as indicated by line 9-4) on Fig. 8.

I show in Fig. 1 a phonograph mechanism 10. a kinetograph 11 and a mechanical musical instrument 12. This musical instrument may be of any character, for instance, a piano, organ, orchestrion, or any instrument or plurality or aggregation of instruments to give the desired sounds and effects. Further, I may, of course, employ a plurality of any or all of the mechanisms or lnstruments herein described; operating each and all of them from the same common source and all in synchronism. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 the kinetograph is operated by a motor 13, similar to or a duplicate of the motor '13 which operates the mechanical musical instrument and is shown in detail in Fig. 5. The phonograph is initially operated by its motor 14; this motor being, in the form of arrangement shown in Fig. 1, the initial operating motor for all of the several synchronized mechanisms. The motor 1% rotates the record holding table 15 upon which record 16 is placed, the record being registered on the table by any suitable means, as by a pin 17 on the table passing through a small hole in the record. The table may be registered wth reference to the stationary base 18 of the phonograph by means of registration marks 19. Commutator mechanism 20 is connected to be operated in synchronism with the phonograph table. The commutator shaft 21'may be connected by gears 22 with the table shaft; the arrangement is such that, when the table is put into the position shown in Fig. 1, the commutator mechanism is always in a certain definite, position. This commutator mechanism, shown in Fig. 3, comprises a commutator with segments 23 mounted stationarily upon the frame or base of the phonograph, and brushes 24 mounted upon a revolving arm 25 to revolve with the commutator shaft 21. The brushes may be bals anced by a balance weight 26. In my pre; ferred arrangement I use a commutator with SIX sections.

In its preferred form the motor 13 comprises six electro-magnetic solenoids 30. The plungers 32 of these solenoids are con nected to cranks 33 of crank shaft 34. cranks are spaced at equal distances around the shaft'axis. A single wire common to all of the solenoid circuits, leads to each of the solenoids, as shown at 35 or 35*, this wire leading from a source of electrical energy A wire 37 leads from the other side of the electrical source to the brushes 24. Six wires, &0, 41, 42, 43, M, 45 lead. to the several solenoids of the motor shown in Fig.

The

5, branch wires 40 41 42, 43 44 and $5 leading to the solenoids of the motor whlch operates the kinetograph 11, as shown 111 Fig. 1. It will be seen that, Wlth the commutator mechanism in any definite positlon, the motor mechanism will be in a corresponding definite position. Rotation of the commutator mechanism will cause the several circuits to be successively supplied with electrical energy, causing successive energization of the motor solenoids; and thls will cause rotation of the motor shaft in synchronism with the rotation of the commutator mechanism. circuits T have found that the synchronism of operation is exact.

In the form shown in Fig. 1 the phonograph motor is the independent and initial motor which controllably actuatesthe motors of kinetograph 11 and mechanical musical instrument 12. The phonograph motor runs at an even speed; and, where exact synchronism of the different mechanisms is desired, it is preferred to actuate the other two mechanisms from the phonograph on account of the even speed of the phonograph motor. But where the kinetograph and mechanical musical instrument are used alone, the phonograph not being used, either of the two mechanisms may be operated from the other. I may prefer in such a case to operate the mechanical musical instrument from the kinetograph; and such an arrangement is shown in Fig. 2,. Here the kinetograph 11 may be operated in any manner, as by its own motor 50. The commutator 22 is connected with the kinetograph so as to be operated thereby; and the wiring arrangements are then the same as shown in Fig. l and hereinbefore, described. With the kinetograph in any set position, the commutator mechanism will be in a certain definite position; and so also will the motor mechanism of the mechanical musical instrument. In either the case shown in Fig. l or that shown in Fig. 2, when the different parts are set in any such predetermined position, as that determined by the registration marks on the phonograph, the kinetograph film 60, shown in Fig. 4, may then be set in the kinetograph mechanism so that a registration mark 61 will be opposite stationary mark 62 at the same time that the phonograph record is in the position shown in Fig. 1. Being thus set in corresponding starting positions, the phonograph record and the kinetograph film are ready to be moved synchronously. In the formshown in Fig. 2 the kinetograph film is set, and the musical instrument record is set, as will be hereinafter explained. In the form shown in Fig. 1 all three records are set initially.

In F ig. 5 I have shown a commutator 20 on the shaft 72 which, as hereinafter With six separate the varying scenes by the synchronously controlled mechanism thereof.

1 shall now explain the mechanism of the mechanical musical instrument which enables me to effect the combination herein described. I may connect the motor to any record advancing shaft of any ordinary instrument; but for the purposes of exact synchronism I prefer to make the connection and propulsion as now explained. From the motor shaft '34 '1 may run a sprocket chain connection 70 to a shaft 71' connectible with shaft 72 through a clutch 73. The sprocket chain connection 70 may be in the ratio say one to four; and in this case the clutch 73 will have four teeth in each side; so that, with the motor shaft at in any definite position, say in starting position, and the shaft 72 in any definite position, then the clutch 73 may be arranged so as to be always engageable. The shaft 72 extends within and across the record box 75 and carries a sprocket roller 76 immediately'below the tracker board 77. Correspondingly situated above the tracker board is another sprocket roll 78 mounted upon shaft, 79, which shaft 79 is connected with the shaft 72 through the medium of a sprocket chain connection 80, driving shaft 79 at even speed with shaft 72 and a resilient connecting member- 81, preferably in the form of a coil spring attached at one end to the loose sprocket wheel 82 and at the other end to a tight collar 83 on the shaft 79. The rolls 76 and 78 have teeth at their ends adapted to engage the sprocket holes 84 of the record strip 8;.),-so as to positively drivethe strip over'the tracker board 71'. Where the ordinary piano. etc. is used and the commutator 20 mounted thereon and the kinetograph driven from this commutator, the record strip is ad- 'vanced in the usual manner and the com- I mutator mounted upon any record propelling shaft. But where exact synchronism at all times is demanded the record is provided with sprocket holes, as above explained, and advanced by sprocket rolls, as explained. This necessitates or makes desirable the use of aheavier record strip (either of heavy paper, or of celluloid or the like) and tension of the record strip over the edge of the tracker board is then provided for by the resilient member 81.

When the record strip 85 is placed on the rolls 76 and 78, the roll 7 8 may be rotated forward a slight distance, putting a tension on the spring 81; and this tension on the spring 81 will thereafter tend to hold the record strip tightly between the rolls 78 and 7 6 and down tightly on the edge of tracker board 77. The record strip is rolled onto a roll 90 below the tracker board from a roll 91 above. These rolls may be mounted, in any usual manner, upon shafts 92 and 93; and these shafts may be driven from shafts 72 and -79 by any of the usual frictional driving arrangements, such as is illustrated at 94.

When a record is about to be started, the niotor'mechanism is placed in its starting position by turning the controlling commutator mechanism to its set starting position;

determined in this case by the set starting position of the phonograph table. Certain of the motor solenoids will be energized,

causing the motor shaft or shafts to assume acertain definite position. The musical record is then put in place over the tracker board and on the s rocket rolls 76 and 78,

the sprocket roll 70 having been previously turned so that the clutch 73 will engage. When the sprocket roll 76 is put in its set position, then the record strip may be put upon the sprocket roll 76 in such position that the registration mark 95 on the record strip may be registered with the mark 96 on the tracker board; the relation of mark 95 to the sprocket holes in the-record strip being such, and the relation of sprocket teeth on roller 76'to the clutch 73 being such, that such a setting of the record strip is possible.

The record strip and the motor mechanism or mechanisms having been set in position, the clutch. is closed; and the kinetograph having also been'put in starting postion, as hereinbefore explained; then all of the several mechanisms are in position ready for the commencement of synchronous operation.

When the musical instrument is driven accurately in synchronism with the kinetograph, as is herein provided, it is possible to produce results heretofore unattained. For

instance, a kinetograph and piano record of a person playing may be accurately reproduced; the kinetograph may show close up views of the pianists hands in action; and the reproducing piano will be actuatedin exact synchronism with the action shown in the moving picture.

Synchronous operation of the various mechanisms depends, of course, upon the supposition that the various records have been previouslysynchronously made. Synchronous making or production of the rec which, when played byhand, makes a record of that playing. The starting registration marks are made at the time of making the original record.

Having described the preferred form of my invention, I claim:

1. In a musical instrument of the character described, a pair of rolls adapted tocarry a record strip, a tracker board arranged between the rolls so that the record strip passes over it, said record strip having sprocket perforations, a pair of sprocket rolls one on each side of the tracker board to engage the record strip, means for driving one of the sprocket rolls and means for driving the other sprocket roll from the first mentioned one embodying a driving connection between the rolls including a resilient connecting member.

2. In a musical instrument of the character described, a tracker board, a pair of rotating sprocket members one on each side of the tracker board and adapted to engage a record strip which has sprocket perforations, means for driving one of said members, and means for driving the other memher in synchronism with the first mentioned one, said last mentioned driving means embodying a resilient element adapted to be stressed when the record strip is placed on the sprocket members to thereafter exert a tension on the strip between the two members.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 18th day of April, 1918.

ORLANDO E. 'KELLUM.

Witness VIRGINIA I. BERINGER. 

